Socio-Economics & History Commentary

Putin Prepares Russia for War with West; Shuts Down U.S. NED by https://larouchepac.com/On Tuesday Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the shutdown the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) in Russia, under a law passed by the Russian Parliament and signed by Putin in May. The Russian Parliament declared the NED an “undesirable” organization under that law, which bans groups from abroad which are deemed a”threat to the foundations of the constitutional system of the Russian Federation, its defense capabilities, and its national security.”–The NED is clearly not simply an NGO, but the very heavily funded “mother of all NGOs” being used in British/Obama “color revolution” operations for regime change around the world. Thus the Putin government’s banning of it has unmistakable significance.–In addition to the reorganization and modernization of the entire Russian defense triad, and Putin’s denunciation of the U.S. withdrawal from the ABM treaty as a war threat, the shutdown of the NED is another loud and clear warning that Russia is aware that it is facing an existential war threat, brought on by the Obama Administration-run coup in Ukraine and declared intent to place NATO weapons on its border. The May law on “undesirables” follows a law signed in 2012 that gave Russian authorities the power to declare organizations “foreign agents” if they engage in any kind of politics and receive money from abroad. Yet after that law, the Obama Administration flagrantly supported a “color revolution” against Ukraine’s legitimately elected government.–With the outright Banderite Nadia Diuk being the vice-president of NED with responsibility for Eurasia for the past several years, the NED was in the center of 2011 attempts to stage a “color revolution” against the Russian government and its elections; and of course was a guiding force in preparing and carrying out the Banderite overthrow of the Ukraine government. “The U.S. would like Russia to cease to exist as a country,” said the director of Russia’s Security Council, Nikolay Patrushev, on June 22 of this year. He also said,”The Americans seek to dominate the world…. It’s clear that the hidden agenda of destabilization of this country [ukraine] is creating an instrument to radically weaken Russia.”President Putin gave a similar assessment of the situation, and the need to take actions against it, to the Security Council meeting of July 3.–In a lengthy editorial in yesterday’s Washington Post, titled “Power Mad,” with a large picture of President Putin, the Post feigns incredulity that NED programs to bring down the regime through education, fighting “corruption,” and promotion of “human rights,” could be outlawed. Demonstrating its “high dudgeon,” the Post also runs an op-ed by Carl Gershman, the President of the NED, called “Putin’s Fear of Civil Society.” It might better be titled, “Putin’s Internal Preparations for the West’s Launching of War.”

SATANIC CULT USED PROFITS FROM BAPHOMET STATUE UNVEILING TO FIGHT ANTI-ABORTION EFFORTS by STEVE WATSON | WWW.INFOWARS.COMA New York based Devil obsessed cult, known as The Satanic Temple, used funds from a recent PR driven Baphomet statue unveiling in Detroit to fund an effort to undermine legal moves to ban abortion after 20-weeks, as well as other anti-abortion legislation.–Breitbart reports that a Temple spokeswoman told reporters that proceeds from $25 and $75 tickets to the event, billed as the “largest public satanic ceremony in history,” will be used to “support the reproductive rights legal action fund.”–The Temple also has an Indiegogo donation page setup which it says serves “to challenge arbitrary, insulting abortion regulations,” The campaign has already raised more than $32,000.–The Temple, supports on-demand abortion, and vehemently opposes all anti-abortion proposals, including the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which requires the physician to first determine the probable post-fertilization age of the unborn child before performing an abortion, and would ban abortions after 20 weeks except in cases where the woman’s life is in danger, or where rape, incest has led to the pregnancy.–The cult, which clearly aligns itself with The Devil, even though they claim not to believe he really exists, has a questionable statement on it’s website suggesting that the reason they support abortion is to do with “personal choice” and “Women’s Rights”.–Not an identification with historical Satanic child sacrifice, or doing the evil bidding of the dark lord then? Have those special interests taken a back seat in this instance? The cult also opposes ultrasounds because they believe them to be an “attempt to create guilt and discomfort in those seeking abortions.”–The Satanic Temple has recently embroiled itself in a federal lawsuit against the State of Missouri, claiming that the state’s laws restricting abortion violate their “free exercise” of Satanism, and that abortion is “an essential religious duty” for Satanists.–read more.

Published on Jul 28, 2015Just thought I’d collect all the information pertaining to the end of September as something that will change the earth.–1- The Day of Atonement happens to be on the 23rd of September.2- The Pope’s visit to the USA which happens on the 23rd.3- Jade Helm’s conclusion which falls on the 15th.4- There’s something in the Jewish religion which is called Shmitah. Rabbi Johnathan Cahn noted that the Shmitah in 2001 caused the stock market collapse at the end of September, and then in 2008 the Shmitah also caused the economy trouble. The next Shmitah happens to be at the end of the 29th day of Elul this September.5- According to Thomas Horn in his book Petrus Romanus written in 2012 he notes the following about Daniel’s prophecy and specifically this verse “Know also and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to cause to return and to build Jerusalem, unto the Anointed the Prince, shall be seven weeks.”–Jerusalem was reclaimed by Israel during the Six Days War in June of 1967. Recall that in the seventy-weeks paradigm, the “seven” is seven weeks of years which is (7 x 7) forty-nine years. T. W. Tramm explains a remarkable concurrence:–June 7, 1967 falls in the Hebrew year 5727, adding forty-nine prophetic years to this date we arrive in the Hebrew year 5776, which is 2015 on the Gregorian calendar. Interestingly, if one counts exactly forty-nine (360 day) prophetic years (17,640 days) from the June 7, 1967 date of Jerusalem’s recapture, we arrive at September 23, 2015—the Day of Atonement! Coincidence?–6- The Bible has a verse called the Parable of the Fig Tree, and it says that when you see the budding of the fig tree, you will know that the kingdom of God is near and that this generation will not pass until all things are fulfilled.–Now the average generation lasts 67 years, and some people have linked the budding of the fig tree to the birth of the Nation of Israel in 1948. So if we add 1948 and 67 we arrive at the year 2015.–7- There’s a guy in Puerto Rico called Efrain Rodriguez I think who’s saying that a huge meteor will fall near Puerto Rico this September in the Ocean and will cause huge tidal waves that will affect the east coast of the US.–Interestingly some other people are also reporting about an asteroid or comet on collision course with Earth this September.–Read more athttp://investmentwatchblog.com/septem…

Published on Jul 30, 2015 One of the world’s most lucrative industries, spending on cancer drugs reached an all-time high last year, as it was valued at more than $100 billion. Spending on cancer drugs increased 6.5 percent annually over the past five years and is expected to continue growing at a rate of 8 percent each year through 2018, according to figures provided by the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics. That spending is highly concentrated, as the US and five of Europe’s largest countries account for nearly two-thirds of the entire market.–Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/050582_nag…

Published on Jul 29, 2015Russia has vetoed a draft of a UN Security Council resolution calling for an international tribunal on the crash of the Malaysian Airlines MH17 flight over eastern Ukraine last July and classifying the plane’s downing as a threat to peace and security. READ MORE:http://on.rt.com/6o1x

Gerald Celente: Fears Of A Full-Blown Global Panic Increase by http://www.kingworldnews.comOn the heels of continued selling of stocks in China, the top trends forecaster in the world warned King World News that capital is fleeing China as fears of a global market panic increase.–By Gerald Celente of Trends Research InstituteJuly 30 – (King World News) – By any measure, the Chinese equity markets are in turmoil. The Shanghai Index, up 150 percent in a year and down some 30 percent since mid-June, was hit hard again Monday, losing another 8.5 percent — its second-biggest fall in its history….….… we can forecast with certainty the fears of a global market panic extending far beyond the strength or weakness of China’s equity markets.–As we wrote in last week’s Trend Alert, the world’s second largest economy, “China – in midst of an economic slowdown, an equity market calamity and trying to keep its real estate bubble from bursting – absorbs some 50 percent of copper, iron ore and coal exports. Thus, nations rich in commodity resources, such as Canada, Australia, Brazil, Venezuela, Peru, Russia, Nigeria, Angola, Chile and Indonesia, are in recession or heading into one as demand for their exports declines worldwide.”–read more.

MH370 Debris Near Madagascar? Malaysia ‘Almost Certain’ It Has Found Missing Boeing Part by http://www.rt.com/news/An aircraft part that was washed up on La Reunion Island off the southeastern African coast almost certainly belongs to a Boeing 777, Malaysia’s transport minister has said. It may have come from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.–
“It is almost certain that the flaperon is from a Boeing 777 aircraft. Our chief investigator here told me this,” Deputy Transport Minister Abdul Aziz Kaprawi was cited by Reuters as saying.–The two-meter long piece of debris was found Wednesday by people clearing trails along the coastline of La Reunion, a French island in the Indian Ocean.–“It was covered in shells, so one would say it had been in the water a long time,” AFP quoted one witness as saying.–Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai told reporters at the United Nations that he has dispatched a team to investigate the wreckage. “Whatever wreckage found needs to be further verified before we can ever confirm that it is belonged to MH370,” he said.–Meanwhile, an unnamed US official quoted by AP stated that air safety investigators have a “high degree of confidence” that the debris is from a Boeing 777, which is the same model as the Malaysia Airlines plane.–According to the official, air safety investigators, including a Boeing investigator, identified the two-meter piece as a “flaperon” from the trailing edge of a wing.–read more.

I have gone through this “500 days to climate chaos” warning and I am not sure what to make of it nor how it is derived. It appears to be occult ie. Illuminists signalling (to other Illuminists) a global warning that something is about to happen globally that will affect the weather around 25 Sept 2015. Some are of the opinion that an asteriod/ meteor/ comet strike on 23-24 Sept 2015.
–

Remember “500 Days to Climate Chaos”? Pope to Give Sermon at Ground Zero on the 500th Dayby Melissa Dykes(Truthstream Media) Back on May 13, 2014, French foreign minister Laurent Fabius made a joint appearance with Secretary of State John Kerry to warn the world that we only had 500 days left until “climate chaos.” Here are his exact words on that day:–Well, I’m very happy to be with John. There is no week without a phone call or a visit between John and myself, and we have on the agenda many items, many issues – Iran, because negotiations are resuming today; the question of Syria, and we shall meet next Thursday in London together; Ukraine as well; and very important issues, issue of climate change, climate chaos. And we have – as I said, we have 500 days to avoid climate chaos. And I know that President Obama and John Kerry himself are committed on this subject and I’m sure that with them, with a lot of other friends, we shall be able to reach success on this very important matter. (source)–To which I wrote:That’s right. If success isn’t reached on this very important matter by exactly Friday, September 25, 2015, chaos of the climate variety will definitely ensue. France’s Fabius did not clarify what will happen on the 501st day that will mark the beginning of official “climate chaos,” but I imagine it’ll probably be a lot like the speech toward the end of the movie Ghostbusters:…Strange, however, that I was flipping through headlines and came upon the fact that a lottery has now opened up in NYC for people to attend a very special interfaith service by none other than the Pope at the September 11th Memorial and Museum WTC on exactly Friday, September 25, 2015 — the 500th day. Weird timing, no?–So the Pope will be giving a sermon at Ground Zero on the 500th day, the day that we have been told “climate chaos” is set to ensue. Had to wonder…is he there to officially announce the beginning of climate chaos?–On that same day, the Pope is also set to address the annual UN General Assembly of world leaders. According to the UN website, September 25th just so happens to kick off the United Nations three-day summit for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda, “convened as a high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly.”–The day before, he is going to address a joint meeting of Congress for the first time a Pope has ever addressed Congress. He will also be meeting with President Obama and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Busy Pope.–read more.

Published on Jul 30, 2015The United Nations has condemned Israeli plans for building 300 new settler units in the occupied West Bank. UN Chief Ban Ki-moon said settlements are illegal under international law. He stressed that the destruction of private property in the occupied territories is prohibited under international law and those who commit such actions must be held accountable. Ban said Israel’s new settlement plans hamper peace efforts. He further urged Israeli authorities to reverse their decision. The Palestinian government has also condemned Tel Aviv for plans to build more settler units, calling it a war crime. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the construction of the new settler units in Beit El settlement. Tel Aviv also plans to build more than 500 units in the occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds. All Israeli settlements are illegal under the international law.

Revelation 2:9 – …. and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

Modern Ashkenazi Khazars (90+% of modern Jewry) are NOT the Jews of the Bible! Ashkenaz is not from the tribe of Shem ie. not semitic! They cannot be the descendents of Jacob/Israel who are from Shem!
–Genesis 10:1-3 (New King James Version)Nations Descended from Noah1 Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And sons were born to them after the flood. 2 The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 3 The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath,[a] and Togarmah.

Revelation 2:9 – …. and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

Click on image for article!

We are trained to not see Palestinians as humans – former IDF soldier!

Click on image for article!

Click on image for article!

Click on image for article!

Click on image for article!

Sir Gerald Kaufmann (UK Jewish MP):“My grandmother was ill in bed when the Nazis came to her home town. A German soldier shot her dead in her bed. “My grandmother did not die to provide cover for Israeli soldiers murdering Palestinian grandmothers in Gaza. ”
–
“The present Israeli government ruthlessly and cynically exploits the continuing guilt among gentiles over the slaughter of Jews in the Holocaust as justification for their murder of Palestinians.”–

He said the claim that many of the Palestinian victims were militants “was the reply of the Nazi” and added: “I suppose the Jews fighting for their lives in the Warsaw ghetto could have been dismissed as militants.”

‘Israel was born out of Jewish Terrorism! …. They are not simply war criminals. They are fools!’

“ … it turns out the creation of Israel had not, after all, been a haphazard fight in which the Arabs fled their homes at the directives of their own leaders, but it had been an unprovoked, systematic campaign of ethnic cleansing by the Jewish militia involving massacres, terrorism and the wholesale looting of an entire nation.”– from 4:22 onwards
–

“In 2001, Dr. Ariella Oppenheim, of Hebrew University, a biologist, published the first extensive study of DNA and the origin of the Jews. Her research found that virtually all the Jews came from Khazar blood. Not only that but Oppenheim discovered that the Palestinians—the very people whom the Jews had been persecuting and ejecting from Israel’s land since 1948—had more Israelite blood than did the Jews.In sum, the vast majority of the Jews were not Jews; some of the Palestinians were. Some of the Palestinians even had a DNA chromosome which established that they were “Cohens”—workers at the ancient Temple and synagogues of the Jews.” – Quote

Revelation 2:9 – …. and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

The 13th Tribe of Khazaria! Ashkenazi Khazars Are Not The Jews of The Bible!If almost 98% of JEWS we know today are NOT semitic, wouldn’t the term ANTI-SEMITIC be null and void? I made this video with 3 Jewish friends who admit they are not Semites!!!! – “Many [modern-day Jews] of whom have clamored to go back [to Palestine] NEVER had antecedents [physical ancestors] in that part of the world …. The OVERWHELMING majority of Jews are descendants from the converts of Khazaria and elsewhere who ADOPTED Judaism…. This VIEW of the NON-ethnicity of the largest portion of Jewry IS SUSTAINED by such prominent anthropologists as Ripley, Weissenberg, Hertz, Boas, Pittard, Fishberg, Mead and others. . “ – Dr. Alfred M. Lilienthal– “… Though many Jews are NOT of Semitic origin, we are the religious, spiritual, and national [but NOT genetic] descendants of those who first formed the early foundations of Judaism who were Semites” – Rabbi Cyril A. Stanway in “Viewpoints,” Thursday, November 8, 1990, in the Sun-News (Las Cruces, New Mexico)– “. . these Eastern European, Yiddish-speaking Jews who form the Zionist group practically in toto [almost entirely], have NEITHER a geographic, historic NOR ethnic connection with either the Jews [Israelite Judahites] of the Old Testament OR the land known today as Palestine. “ – Jewish Dr. Benjamin H. Freedman, published by the National Economic Council, Inc. as “Council Letter No. 177 (October 15, 1947)
–

Modern Ashkenazi Jews are not the Jews of the Bible! God’s covenant was with Abraham and his biological descendents. Ashkenazi Jews are not semitic and their ancestors were never in Palestine. They are not the descendents of Abraham/Isaac/Israel. They have no right to stay in Palestine. What the Zionists are doing to the Palestinians is called: genocide and ethnic cleansing! Zionist ’666′ Israel is not the Israel of the Bible! It is a LIE!
–1980 Jewish Almanac “Strictly speaking it is incorrect to call an ancient Israelite a ‘Jew’ or to call a contemporary Jew an Israelite or a Hebrew.” (1980 Jewish Almanac, p. 3).The Jewish Encyclopedia:
“Khazars, a non-Semitic, Asiatic, Mongolian tribal nation who emigrated into Eastern Europe about the first century, who were converted as an entire nation to Judaism in the seventh century by the expanding Russian nation which absorbed the entire Khazar population, and who account for the presence in Eastern Europe of the great numbers of Yiddish-speaking Jews in Russia, Poland, Lithuania, Galatia, Besserabia and Rumania.”
.The American Peoples Encyclopedia … for 1954 at 15-292 records the following in reference to the Khazars: “In the year 740 A.D. the Khazars were officially converted to Judaism. A century later they were crushed by the incoming Slavic-speaking people and were scattered over central Europe where they were known as Jews.
–
According to the standard Jewish Encyclopedia 96% of all the Jews known to the world today are descendents of the Khazar tribes of Russia, Eastern Europe and western Mongolia.–

The Bible specifically forbids the ill-treatment of people different from us ie: strangers. What Zionist ’666′ Israel does to the Palestinians is called: genocide and ethnic cleansing! Zionist ’666′ Israel is in total violation of God’s law!
–Exodus 22:21“You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”Exodus 23:9 “Also you shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the heart of a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”Leviticus 19:33 ‘And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him.’Leviticus 19:34The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.Leviticus 23:22 ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning from your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the LORD your God.’Leviticus 24:22You shall have the same law for the stranger and for one from your own country; for I am the LORD your God.Ezekiel 47:22-23 22 It shall be that you will divide it by lot as an inheritance for yourselves, and for the strangers who dwell among you and who bear children among you. They shall be to you as native-born among the children of Israel; they shall have an inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel.23And it shall be that in whatever tribe the stranger dwells, there you shall give him his inheritance,” says the Lord GOD.–

The so-called Star of David is a Satanic symbol. Satanists and occult practitioners use it for calling Satan and demons!
–Former Satanist, Bill Schnoebelen (now born again Christian)“A hexagram must be present to call forth a demon” and ” it is a very powerful tool to invoke Satan”. – “To the sorcerer, the hexagram is a powerful tool to invoke Satan.” In fact, the word “hex” — as to put a “hex” or “curse” on people — comes from this word. – If you examine the so-called “Star of David,” or hexagram, closely, you will discover something astonishing. It has six points, forms six equilateral triangles, and in its interior forms a six sided hexagon — thus it reveals the number of Satan’ antichrist beast, — 6 points, 6 triangles, and the 6 sides of the hexagram — 666 !!!
–

Published on Jul 30, 2015An international medical humanitarian organization says the Saudi blockade of Yemen is killing as many civilians as the country’s war. The head of the Doctors Without Borders group said many people are dying because Riyadh prevents medicine from reaching the sick. Joanne Liu said Riyadh needs to put in place ways to get supplies to come in a safe way. It was the latest warning about the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen four months after Saudi Arabia began bombing the impoverished Arab country. Riyadh has imposed a unilateral aerial and naval blockade on Yemen amid its deadly airstrikes. Last month, the United Nations Security Council urged Saudi Arabia to lift its blockade, stressing that ships carrying food, fuel, and other vital supplies must be permitted to enter ports in Yemen which is on the brink of famine.

Published on Jul 30, 2015Syria has cast serious doubts on Turkey’s so-called anti-ISIL campaign, blaming Ankara for the bloodshed in the war-ravaged Arab nation. The Syrian Foreign Ministry said Ankara is seeking to depict itself as the victim of terrorism while it is supporting terrorists in Syria. The ministry also accused the Turkish government of conspiring against Damascus by paving the way for foreign militants to join terrorist groups in Syria through Turkish borders. The Syrian Foreign Ministry further held Turkey responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths in Syria and the grave humanitarian situation in the country. The remarks came in two identical letters sent to the UN chief and the UN Security Council’s president.

Published on Jul 29, 2015 Syriza party now rebelling against Tspiras. Greek parliament new report shows Greece is headed into a depression. Layoffs continue, Chevron, Xerox and others letting people go. Pending home sales implode as the housing recovery collapses. Social Security Disability fund will run out of money in 2016 and congress is going to hide this by combining SSD with SS. White House rejects petition for Edward Snowden, once again government does not care what people want. FBI wants social media to do more to spy on the American people. UK planning to role 5000 soldiers to control the masses. Kiev begs the US for lethal weapons. Turkey signs deal with US to use their airbases to remove Assad. IS makes threats against India to draw the US into war, translation: push the Authorization for War through congress.

Published on Jul 30, 2015 Tspiras says bailout might need to be cancelled. IMF says no to Greek aid. Greece will be in debt until 2073. Chevron, Saipen and Shell layoffs 6500 employees. GDP revised again and pushed higher to make everyone think the economy is growing. 70% believe the economy is now getting worse. Puerto Rico is now 48 hours away from defaulting. Obamacare leaves the taxpayers on the hook for 2.4 million. Russia asks Kiev why MH17 was directed over a hostile area. US tweaks sanctions against Russia. China says the US is provoking tensions in the South China Sea. US is now warning American about terrorist attacks in India.

Obama Judge Fines School Over Christian Prayer by KIT DANIELS | WWW.INFOWARS.COMGov’t turning Christians into second-class citizens An Obama-appointed district judge fined a Mississippi school district over $7500 after a pastor led a prayer before an optional school assembly.–U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves said the Rankin, Miss., public school district defied his prior order barring prayer at school events by allowing Rev. Rob Gill to begin an assembly honoring students with above-average ACT scores with a prayer.–“The district’s breach did not take very long and it occurred in a very bold way,” Reeves stated. “Its conduct displays that the district did not make any effort to adhere to the agreed judgment.”–The judge, appointed by Obama in 2010, also barred the distribution of Bibles on the school district’s campuses by Gideons International, the evangelical Christian association best known for placing Bibles in hotel rooms.–The case came to fruition after a high school student sued the school district over the assembly with help from the secular American Humanist Association.–“Along with the $7,500 in fines, the school district will also have to pay the student’s legal fees, an amount that will be determined at a later date,” the Christian Post reported. “Reeves also threatened the school district with a $10,000 fine for any future infractions of the order.”–The school district’s defense team argued that the assembly wasn’t mandatory, but the judge countered by accusing the district of trying to “indoctrinate students” with Christianity.–“It deliberately went out of its way to entangle Christian indoctrination in the education process,” Reeves said. “From the accounts detailed in the record, it appears that incorporating religious script and prayers with school activities has been a long-standing tradition of the district.”–While there’s been a long-standing debate over the separation of church and state, keep in mind such a separation is also intended to protect religious believers from state interference.–read more.

China Says US “Militarization” Of South China Sea Shows Washington “Wants Nothing Better Than Chaos” by Tyler Durden, http://www.zerohedge.comIf you follow geopolitics you’re well aware that China has become a magnet for maritime conflict and controversy over the past six or so months. –It all started earlier this year when satellite images showing the construction of what appeared to be a 10,000 foot runway (long enough to accommodate military aircraft) atop a newly constructed island in the contested waters of the South China Sea touched off an international firestorm as the US and its allies accused Beijing of seeking to redraw maritime boundaries and expand its naval capabilities at the expense of regional security.–China vigorously denied the accusations, pointing to the fact that other nations had undertaken similar land reclamation efforts in the Spratlys. –The situation escalated meaningfully when the PLA threatened a US spy plane, prompting Washington to remind Beijing that artillery stationed on “sand castles” would certainly not be enough to deter the US Navy from navigating wherever it chooses whenever it chooses to do so.–The “conflict” subsided briefly after a propaganda campaign by Beijing put a humorous spin on the entire ordeal, but China found itself right back in the spotlight last week after Japan essentially accused it of stealing natural gas by positioning rigs too close to a demarcation line that separates the two countries’ exclusive economic zones. –For the latest on China’s seaborne exploits we go to Reuters, who notes that Washington and Beijing are back at each other’s throats over the Spratly issue, only this time it’s China which is accusing the US of militarizing the region. Here’s more:–read more.

Chinese dredging vessels in the waters around Mischief Reef. (Photo: the Telegraph)

Chinese dredging vessels are purportedly seen in the waters around Fiery Cross Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea in this still image from video taken by a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft provided by the United States Navy on May 21, 2015. Reuters/US Navy